Jackson Free Press

The place to be tonight is Hal & Mal's for the Winter 2009 Chick Jam. The fun kicks off at 8 p.m., with performances by Fedora Welty, Party Dots and Law School, and you'll find lots of cool photography and art on display and for sale. Admission is a single Lincoln (a mere $5), but you need to be over 18 to play. Proceeds go to the Center for Violence Prevention in Pearl. Call ShaWanda at 601-362-6121 ext. 16 for more info, or visit the Chick Ball Web site.

Saturday is another chance to find one-of-a-kind gifts for the special people in your life, at the annual Chimneyville Crafts Festival at the Mississippi Trade Mart. Every year, the Craftsmen's Guild of Mississippi brings the finest craftspeople from the state, the region and even a few from across the nation together under one roof, and this year is no exception. Doors open at 10 a.m. Saturday and noon Sunday, and admission is $5.

While you're in the holiday spirit, stop by Belhaven Coll, er, University for the 77th annual Singing Christmas Tree performance at 7:30 p.m. Or try something completely different and head to Millsaps for mr muddle's Song and Dance-aganza at 7 p.m. Both events are free. Where can you find more great ideas for things to do? Start with the JFP Best Bets page.

If you don't find anything interesting there, do not pass "Go" or collect $200 dollars; just go directly to the JFP Events Calendar where you can browse to your heart's content. For Saturday, you'll find events for the kids (breakfast with Santa at Metrocenter), events for readers (Lemuria Books has three signings scheduled), a Christmas parade, plays and musicals, a home-buyers course, even an edible ornaments workshop. And Sunday's calendar is just as packed.

Want more? You got it! If it's tunes you want, there's no better resource in Jackson than the JFP Music Listings. I'm not bragging (well, maybe I am a little); Saturday lists nearly three-dozen options, from classical (Handel's Messiah at Galloway), to blues (The Juvenators at Underground 119), to county, jazz and rock, and from hip-hop (Storage 24 at Sam's Lounge) to DJs to spoken-word. Find your favorite or try something new.

Hungry? Head north to Huntington's Grille Sunday morning for "Lunch with Luis" from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. But every day, take a look at the best dining Jackson has to offer on the JFP Restaurant Listings and the Menu Guide. We don't mean to confuse you with all the options. Really. Take them one at a time and savor all the goodness. If your restaurant isn't listed, send an e-mail to [e-mail missing] and don't miss out on the area's holiday visitors. Make sure to include all the details, including your contact information.

Never let us hear you say there's nothing to do in Jackson. There's almost more stuff to do than we have places for stuff. Movies? Find 'em on the JFP Movie Finder including "The Blind Side" about Ole Miss footballer Michael Oher. Galleries? Check the JFP Gallery Listings.

What? You say your event/restaurant/gallery/music isn't listed? Send the information to [e-mail missing] or [e-mail missing], or add your event yourself. It's easy!

Happy weekend, y'all!